Operation: Containment

Operation:

Containment

Martha L. Thurston

Operation: Containment

Published by Martha L. Thurston at Smashwords

Copyright 2016 by Martha L. Thurston

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. They are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Table of Contents

Title

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Book Suggestion: Panther Hunt

Book Suggestion: The Necklace

Chapter 1

Great, the young boy seated in the passenger seat glanced out the window at the sky. It’s going to rain.

The woman driving the car let out a snort and shook her head. You and your conspiracy theories, Zane. I swear!

Zane Roberts turned and smiled at his mother. Conspiracy is such a harsh word, Mom. Let’s call it what it is: The truth.

If you say so, she replied and propped her left arm up on the window. I just think that you spend too much time thinking about such nonsense.

The seventeen year old boy looked over at his mother, his green eyes danced from behind the long shaggy bangs of brown hair that stuck out from under a camouflage ball cap. He reached up and stroked his right hand over his mouth and chin, both held the faint beginnings of facial hair. You know, mother, it isn’t nonsense. There are hundreds of websites out there. He paused, cleared his throat, and then began again, his voice taking the tone of a bad voice over actor as he spoke, Well, there’s actually more than hundreds, but let’s face it, not everything you read on the internet is the truth. He paused for a brief reflection, then continued, But there are literally hundreds of websites out there on this very phenomena. If you will direct your attention to the left, you will see physical proof of this so called ‘cloud seeding,’ Zane said as he pointed out the front windshield at the clear blue sky streaked with two white vapor trails forming an X. When it is right in front of you, and it is fairly predictable, then you can’t deny it.

Ella Roberts looked up at the sky through the windshield and then over at Zane. Yes. There are hundreds of websites about the vapor trails of planes, she said, her voice matter-of-fact.

Zane rolled his eyes. You just don’t get it. He plugged his earbuds into his ears and cranked up the music on his player. His head bobbed up and down to the static beat that emulated from the buds.

His mother reached over and pulled an earbud out of his left ear. Hey. Listen to me, she said to him.

What? He turned down the music and took the other earbud out of his ear.

Just promise me that you won’t talk about all of this conspiracy stuff, she said, her blue eyes darting from him to the road.

But…

No. If you’re going to fit in down here, you’re going to have to talk normal, she said, her eyes held steady between the road and his face. I know you’re interested in it, but it may alienate you from others, and I think you’re anti-social as it is.

Anti-social? I’m not anti-social. Anti-people, maybe? Anti-social? Nah!

Zane! she raised her voice in protest.

Okay. Okay. I promise. He let out an audible sigh. I promise not to talk about conspiracy theories, or how the government is trying to control the weather, or how I think we are being brainwashed…

Zane! she exclaimed as she raised her voice to a screech.

What? He shrugged his shoulders and looked at her.

She drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. You’re being silly.

Zane leaned his head against the cool glass and looked out across a rolling green pasture dotted with an assortment of black and white cows. So, what do you think our new home is going to be like? he asked, his fingers tracing out patterns onto the glass of the view before him.

Ella stared out at the road before her, her mind seemed to be churning away at bits of information until at last she found something she could use. It’s out in the country. The entire town, if you can even call it a town, sits in the middle of farm land. So I guess you could say it looks like what we are seeing now. She reached up and absentmindedly tucked some stray hair behind her ear.

Zane looked over at his mother. Her eyes appeared tired. Her brown hair was twisted loosely and clipped back from her face, and perspiration dotted her forehead. On top of her head were perched a pair of large rimmed tortoiseshell sunglasses along with a pair of reading glasses with purple plastic frames. He smiled at the fact that she wore both. You took a job teaching farmers?

She shook her head. They’re not all farmers. She paused and bit her lower lip.

Zane recognized that look. It was her thinking look. She was thinking about what to say to him. He waited.

After a moment, she shook her head and added, It’s hard to explain the dynamics of the community. Or the diversity. She squinted and reached up to pull down her sunglasses. "Just do your best to fit in.

Zane rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Promise me, Zane." She turned and looked over at him.

Instead of looking over at his mother, he stared out at the passing fields of corn, cotton, cow pastures, and peanuts. Yeah, I promise, he said absentmindedly, as he reached his right hand up and ran his fingers over the raised birthmark on the back of his neck as he watched the scenery roll past the window. As they rolled past dirt roads leading into the middle of nowhere, he muttered to himself, Maybe.

Chapter 2

The school bell rang through the hallway and Zane made his way toward his first class at a slight jog. As he dodged his way through the packed hallway, he suddenly found himself up against some resistance that easily gave way. He looked down and saw that the resistance had been a young girl who was now sprawled out on the floor in the middle of an assortment of books and papers.

She was thin and tall. Her face was heart shaped with high cheek bones and accentuated by a short bob haircut. Her most prominent feature was not her beautiful face, but her hair. It was the color of honey and was streaked with purple highlights that went so well with her blue gray eyes.

She brought her hand up and pushed her hair back behind her ears. Ugh! Don’t you watch where you’re going? She started grabbing at her books and notebooks that were scattered around her. Just look! I’m going to be late to class now!

Zane stood there for a moment, his mouth hung open to say something, but words refused to come out.

What? What are you looking at? she protested.

Zane stared down at her. I-I’m sorry, he stuttered.

Sorry? Well… with this, she was interrupted by the ringing of the tardy bell. Her eyes filled with tears. She clenched her teeth together and slung a book at him. Just look what you did! I’m late for class now!

Zane jumped back as the book slammed into his chest and then bounced across the hall. He chased it down, picked it up, and handed it to her. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to bump you. He bent down and helped to finish picking up her things.

She jerked the items out of his hands. Well, I’m still late, she huffed. "And